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Author Topic: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing  (Read 11930 times)

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Bob Ellis

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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #60 on: January 25, 2012, 01:31:42 PM »

My curiosity was aroused by Ian's account of Hammersmith's departure from the Ring. Can you remember, Ian, when this occurred?

My own recollection of events was somewhat different, but it may be that Hammersmith left the Ring on more than one occasion, having rejoined in the intervening period. I attended three or four Ring meetings when dancing with Hammersmith in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I can't recall the precise dates and details, but I think the last two Ring meetings we attended were at Thaxted and Ludlow. We received sustained hostility from some members of some sides at these events, culminating in vituperative abuse and a slanging match at an evening meal that led us to walk out of the meal. While I wasn't directly involved in the acrimony, I did not see or hear any member of Hammersmith do anything to provoke the hostility we experienced, although some did react to it robustly. Shortly afterwards, Hammersmith received a letter from the Ring demanding that we apologise for our behaviour. Feeling that we were not the culprits, we refused and this led directly to our expulsion or resignation (I forget which).

Before anyone accuses me of having an antipathy towards the Ring, I do not. I have many friends among Ring sides and I was careful to point out that the hostility came from some members of some sides, not the sides themselves and not the Ring itself. While the request for an apology came from the Ring hierarchy, this was more likely to have been due to the events having been misrepresented to them than to any anti-Hammersmith sentiment on their part. In any case, all this happened about 40 years ago and life is far too short to harbour grudges.
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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #61 on: January 25, 2012, 02:10:49 PM »

Reminsicent of the Dwarf (Alberich Morris Men, it sez 'ere) being taunted by the Rhinemaidens!

  One can now see why Tolkein staged his manifestation of Hobbitry in 'the Shires'  >:E
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pikey

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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #62 on: January 25, 2012, 03:25:38 PM »

My curiosity was aroused by Ian's account of Hammersmith's departure from the Ring. Can you remember, Ian, when this occurred?


I heard it was racing in kit in supermarket trolleys that raised a few eyebrows!
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Owen Woods

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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #63 on: January 25, 2012, 03:28:02 PM »

And I'd heard that it was drunk and disorderly behaviour :P
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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #64 on: January 25, 2012, 03:29:42 PM »

In supermarket trolleys  !  ;D
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Ollie

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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #65 on: January 25, 2012, 03:45:39 PM »

I'd heard it was because a certain Fr Loveless took exception to the fool cutting off a dancer's britches with a cut-throat razor during a show dance (Lass of Richmond Hill) at a Ring Meeting.  :P
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Davy R

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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #66 on: January 25, 2012, 04:09:20 PM »

And I'd heard it was a combination of 1. A food fight with Bath University MM and 2. Urination in a public place.

Is there more folklore associated with the Smiffs than with all other London Morris sides put together?  ;D
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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #67 on: January 25, 2012, 04:17:49 PM »

And I'd heard it was a combination of 1. A food fight with Bath University MM and 2. Urination in a public place.

Is there more folklore associated with the Smiffs than with all other London Morris sides put together?  ;D

Maybe :-)

The incident Bob referred to was an earlier one -- this was when the Ring tried to throw us out and then discovered there was no constitutional mechanism to do so. It was many years later that we left voluntarily.

The ones about the cut-throat razor and the shopping trolleys are news to me -- however if they did happen I'd expect them to be part of the great Smiffs word-of-mouth archive of apochryphal tales, and they're not.

Though I was present at the Hartley ring meeting where we held the Ring officers (and everyone else) to ransom with pump-action water pistols to extract money from them for a worthy cause (an aid convoy to Bosnia) which caused some resentment -- though I do remember that said officers paid up handsomely, most of the indignation coming from others present...

Ian

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Owen Woods

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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #68 on: January 25, 2012, 04:33:22 PM »

Probably the incidents mentioned relate in some way to the first instance that Bob referred to.
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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #69 on: January 25, 2012, 04:45:27 PM »

Is it something about London sides? The anarchic and superb Blackheath MM (who I don't think have ever been Ring members), used to sing a little ditty that went 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing, B**locks to the Morris Ring'   ;D

They also once danced in the sea on the Brighton nudist beach, clad only in bells.  It's a good job they weren't full members.......... ::)
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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #70 on: January 25, 2012, 05:03:29 PM »

Interesting. I heard about the razor incident from someone who claimed to have been there.  ??? Not that it really matters, anyway.  ::)

Is it something about London sides?

Nahh, there's the superb (in a very different way) Westminster Morris Men, who have been stalwarts of the Ring for years; I believe they've attended every Thaxted Ring Meeting for the past 50+ years.
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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #71 on: January 25, 2012, 05:23:18 PM »

Why does work get in the way of interesting debate?

Bob: Earlier post about women.
I think you are on the mark, I've heard similar stories from Roy woh also was based in London and delved into similar archives.
He also pointed out that then sides were usually family run, with 6 men and a musician so the collecting was split 7 ways. The whol reason for dancing was to collect money, so if a family male was out fighting for King and Country, his sister probably knew the dances too * and it kept the money in the family*

Smiffs: I rememer first meeting them at the ( oh god no....) Cardiff Instructionals, and vaguely remember food fights and Bath being mentioned. Presumably in Tubby Reynold's era at Bath? cos Tubby was a complete one man full on riot. Absoluetly lovely bloke and daft as a brush., food fights sound quite restrained for him!!!!!!!
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Davy R

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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #72 on: January 25, 2012, 07:20:10 PM »


They also once danced in the sea on the Brighton nudist beach, clad only in bells.  It's a good job they weren't full members.......... ::)

Was Byron Daniels somehow involved? Bet he was!  >:E
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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #73 on: January 25, 2012, 08:07:03 PM »

You bet he was!  He kept his cap on as well  ;D 

Late lamented and sorely missed. I can hear him now singing his version of Blue Suede Shoes , interspersed with the libe ' I wish, I wish I'd never been born, I wish I was a girl again'  :D
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baz parkes

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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #74 on: January 25, 2012, 08:11:49 PM »

And I'd heard it was a combination of 1. A food fight with Bath University MM and 2. Urination in a public place.

Is there more folklore associated with the Smiffs than with all other London Morris sides put together?  ;D

I was there for the food fight with Bath...or a food fight with Bath...it was the same Ring meeting that got Bath into serious trouble for their accompanying musician (a lovely box player but a stranger to this house..) playing a piano on the back of a lorry...I saw no urination in a public place, m'lud...

Then again, it was my first Ring meeting and I may have strong drink taken.... :|glug :|glug :|glug :|glug :|glug...
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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #75 on: January 25, 2012, 09:30:35 PM »

Goathland 1, Morris Ring 0......... (:)
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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #76 on: January 25, 2012, 09:56:07 PM »

In '91 I attended a Ring AGM in Cheddar, I was asked being a relatively local Squire ( of Great Western, not a village  :D ) if I'd represent the Morris Federation. They were invited to send a rep. for the first time, which was the start of the now healthy alliance between all churches of the morris.
I sat 2 places along from Lional Bacon, then an elderly gentleman, and it was lovely to see him and briefly chat. We were treated to 2 hours of bickering and Urination in the Hall was the final topic of discussion. Do I detect a theme here?
The Squire of the Ring was a very nice chap, and made known to me he was equally unimpressed, I was made very welcome and invited to the feast etc. after the meeting, but my taxi had finished her shopping in Bath and was awaiting, so I missed any opportunity for what could have been a genuine Bun Fight  ;D
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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #77 on: January 25, 2012, 10:13:06 PM »

The late and much lovd Rev Ken Loveless went as a guest to the Grimsby/Alford weekend of dsance one year, many years ago.

He watched Ebor Morris dance a set before the pubs opened, sitting on his shooting stick, and didn't say a word.

He then saw us about 3 hours later, came up to our Squire, and said ' that was much better then earlier today, well done. Why is that?'.

To which our Squire replied ' That's because we've all had 5 pints'....... ;D

Rev Ken then said 'why is that man there not wearing a hat?' , which was met with the response ' because he hasn't got one'.
So Ken said ' That's alright then, I thought it was some form of cultivated scruffiness.....'  ;D

The next Morris Ring newsletter had a diatribe letter from the Rev, complaining about 'a form of cultivated scruffiness' in teams...... 'The wearing of metal badges on baldricks is not to be tolerated'.....' Tankards should not be worn on belts'......'Teams should process onto the site, not just gather together'.....'At the end of each dance, teams should process off the site, not just wander off'......

Ebor Morris's moment of fame....... Hence our soubriquet, 'The Slightly Notorious Ebor Morris'   >:E
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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #78 on: January 25, 2012, 10:49:29 PM »

Is it something about London sides? The anarchic and superb Blackheath MM (who I don't think have ever been Ring members), used to sing a little ditty that went 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing, B**locks to the Morris Ring'   ;D

They also once danced in the sea on the Brighton nudist beach, clad only in bells.  It's a good job they weren't full members.......... ::)

Surely *real* anarchists would have danced on said beach fully clothed ?

Ian

(who remembers being directed around Blackheath in the car for about 10 minutes between pubs, ending up at the infamous Dog and Bell a hundred yards round the corner from the pub we'd set off from)
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Re: Further to Lester's Thread Drift, but STILL not Morris Dancing
« Reply #79 on: January 25, 2012, 10:55:23 PM »

And I'd heard it was a combination of 1. A food fight with Bath University MM and 2. Urination in a public place.

Is there more folklore associated with the Smiffs than with all other London Morris sides put together?  ;D

I was there for the food fight with Bath...or a food fight with Bath...it was the same Ring meeting that got Bath into serious trouble for their accompanying musician (a lovely box player but a stranger to this house..) playing a piano on the back of a lorry...I saw no urination in a public place, m'lud...

Then again, it was my first Ring meeting and I may have strong drink taken.... :|glug :|glug :|glug :|glug :|glug...

The food fights did used to get a bit out of hand sometimes, but we weren't always the guilty party. Hartley go so fed up that they tried to come up with a meal for the feast which couldn't be thrown (stew, mash, and salad), but were proved wrong -- not by us initially, we were the victims of a high-velocity low-trajectory tomato from across the room which landed in our bowl of stew and left us looking like the victims of an explosion in a pie filling factory -- after which it all went a bit pear-shaped...

(yes, you *can* throw mash...)
« Last Edit: January 25, 2012, 11:33:56 PM by IanD »
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